Of all the Christmas utterances which have been made this year in such dificult circumstances, that of His Holiness the Pope is probably the most striking. Coming as they do irom the head of the largest church in Christendom the forthright condemnation of aggression by powerful countries against their weaker neighbours, the Invocation of Divine retribution upon those who attack civilians, the welcome of Mr. Miron Taylor as President Roosevelt's personal representative at the Vatican, and the outlining of five points upon which peace could be based form a formidable indictment of the forces of evil on the one side and sound advice as to the direction in which peace should be sought on the other, While Pope Pius XII specifically referred to the Russian invasion of Finland which he denounced in no uncertain terms, the general effect of his condemnation applies with equal force to Herr Hitler's Government, which has not hesitated also to attack weaker nations, and when he says "Unfortunately we have had to watch a series of acts, which are irreconcilable with. the dictates of international law and with the principles of natural law as well as with the most elementary of human sentiments, acts showing to what point juridical sense has been driven by totalitarian considerations," he makes a statement just as applicable to Germany as it is to Russia. Atrocities and the use of unlawful means of destruction, he continues, against women, children, and the old, contempt for human life and liberties, constitute acts crying out for Divine vengeance. It is a long time since a Pontiff has expressed himself with such directness, and it may be that as the full force of his words comes to be appreciated in quarters to which they were obviously addressed, they may very well have a profound psychological effect, for the words of a man who will thus stand out boldly and rebuke sin cannot but be ultimately good. For that reason it is feared that his remarks will not easily obtain currency in Germany, though it may readily be understood that the organization of the Church will ensure that the faithful shall hear what the Pope has said.
There is nothing in the five basic points, upon which he urges that a just international peace can be based, which is in any way unacceptable to the Allies. It is for the right of nations, big and small, powerful and weak, to live in independence that they are at present fighting for, and they are determined that never again shall one nation, through its will to live, impose the death sentence upon another. It is precisely for that that the Allies have entered in this war, and they are determined that future security of Europe shall be guaranteed by the elimination of the Hitlerian Government and all that it stands for. Then, and only then, will it be possible to put into effect that all-round disarmament for which the Fepe pleads in his second point. In a state of international security it would be possible to reduce armaments, but so long as there exists any European Government bent on enlarging itself at the expense of its neigh-hours the Allies cannot afford to turn their swords into ploughshares again. In his third point the Pope insists that the teaching of history and experience should serve as guides for the creation of new international institutions. It is a sad fact that mankind does not appear to learn much from the past, but seeks to solve its difficulties in terms of its own limited experience. Had European statesmen fully realized the lessons of the past, this war would never have come about; Herr Hitler would have been in no position to wage it. In his fourth and fifth points His Holiness emphasizes the necessity for examining the needs and just demands of nations, in a spirit of good will, attempting to satisfy them by every peaceful means, while he also pleaded that the leaders of nations and nations themselves should allow themselves to be permeated with a spirit of responsibility. If that last remark is directed anywhere it must surely be towards Berlin, for the Pope must indeed recognize that amongst those working for peace besides himself have been the leaders of the Allied Governments, and that it was the absence of a sense of responsibility on the part of Herr Hitler and his advisers which caused this present tragic struggle.
Tt is not likely that the Pope's suggested peace points will find much acceptance amongst the Nazi leaders. By implication they amount toa condemnation of all that Herr Hitler and his entourage believe in, and all that they have done since the Austrian anschluss. The only peace for which the Reich is fighting is a German peace, in which Germany shall dominate Europe and keep its nations under a continual threat of might. "Deutschland über alles" is no empty expression of sentiment, but a downright 13110 doctrine towards the achievement of which
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.